April 22, 2011

Dear Jill,

Although the Martinez-Dunbar Sister Cities agreement was declared in Martinez on 18 April 1981, it was not formally announced over here until 22 April.  So although we are ahead of you in horological terms, sometimes we lag behind in other ways!  This then brings you and your Congregation best wishes from Dunbar, the birthplace of John Muir. 

The announcement of the agreement in 1981 was made by the chairman of the Dunbar Community Council at its monthly meeting.  I understand from our current chairman Stephen Bunyan that he has been in touch with you in his role as a member of St Anne's Episcopal Church vestry.  Coincidentally he was also CC chairman in 1981.  Stephen wears many hats and performs many roles in Dunbar, doing a power of good work for the community.  Funnily enough he has never been a member of Dunbar Rotary Club although he is truly an enactment of 'Service before Self'.

In honour of the Dunbar-Martinez twinning anniversary and yesterday being John Muir's birthday, Dunbar Town House has flown the 'stars and stripes' for the last few days instead of the usual Scottish saltire.  Stephen had arranged the swap with East Lothian Council and he appeared at John Muir's Birthplace yesterday in a bit of a flap.  He had remembered that 21 April was also the Queen's birthday and protocol would have required the 'union jack' to have been used.  As a former Deputy Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, and so an ex-'Queen's representative', he was a trifle embarrased.  However, the solution of taking down the US flag late afternoon and replacing it with the British one eased his conscience.

We now have two exhibitions in the town.  One is a display in the Birthplace of old and not so old Martinez and Dunbar photographs, the Martinez ones supplied as you know by Andrea Blachman.  (I was able to show Stephen one of your church building when he came in yesterday.) The other is in Dunbar library and is really two - a series of panels looking at John Muir as a writer and a celebration of the centenary of the publication of 'My First Summer in the Sierra' with Sierra images and quotes from his book.  We also had the first in a series of Dunbar Conversations in the library on Wednesday.  It dealt with John Muir, his legacy and how it applies to local (Dunbar and Scotland) conservation issues.  It was fairly well attended with over 30 folk present.  Anymore would probably have made the audience participation more difficult.  Next Wednesday a readers group meets in the library to explore 'My First Summer in the Sierra'.

To commemorate 'the' birthday, Muir's one that is, a group of us had dinner yesterday evening at one of our local hotels.  There was an empty chair as the life-sized Muir manikin which stands in the Birthplace had been given out on loan to the national John Muir Trust.  The Trust is having an event at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.  I don't know if Muir visited the gardens during his Scottish tour in 1893 as there is no mention that I am aware of in any letters.  He did tend to visit such places elsewhere, so it is just possible.  But that is where his effigy spent his birthday yesterday.  We did toast the person after dinner in the manikin's absence.

So these are double greetings - Sister City 30th Anniversary and John Muir's 173rd birthday.  Please pass my best wishes on to your Congregation and toMartinez Rotary Club.  I have left contacting the latter officially to Alan Burchell, Dunbar club's secretary.

All the very best,

Will

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Dear Will,

Greetings from Grace Church in Martinez!  We are delighted to have contact with you. We share in the celebration with you of John Muir and and the official connection between our two cities.  I read your letter at our last vestry meeting, and everyone was delighted.  It was published in our newsletter as well, and I have heard many good remarks.  One woman was especially excited, having been a visitor to Dunbar.

In 1869, our parish was established in downtown Martinez by a famous missionary Episcopal bishop The Rt. Rev. James Lloyd Breck.  Before then, Episcopalians living in Martinez took a horse-drawn ferry across the Carquinez strait to the small town of Benicia, which had prior been the capitol of California, and walked a mile or so up First Street to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to take communion.  Interestingly, this is where I was ordained in 1999, and so when I was called to Grace Church in Martinez, I was delighted as the two are historically connected. 

While we do not have any record of John Muir ever having attended Grace Episcopal Church, we do have a connection through our parishioners John and Dorothy Plummer who have been members of Grace Church for 50 years.  John is the great grandson of another early and influential Californian by the name of John Swett who came to California to mine for gold, then quickly became an educator ultimately forming the California Education Society and becoming the second Superintendent of Public Instruction in the State of California.  His biggest contribution to California was to ensure free education to all students; he therefore became known as the Father of the California Public School.  John and his wife Mary Swett met John Muir in San Francisco.   After John Muir moved to Martinez, he suggested the Swetts purchase the adjacent property of 182 acres as it was then in foreclosure.  After Muir would come back from his wanderings, he would share his stories with his friends. Due to Mary Swett’s influence, Muir took to recording his observations by writing.   The Plummers still live on the property purchased by the Swetts, which is known as Hill Girt Ranch.

On behalf of Grace Church of Martinez, we send you and your congregation  well-wishes, blessings and Easter greetings on the anniversaries of Dunbar and Martinez becoming sister cities and the birthday of John Muir.  As a Rotary Club Member of Martinez, please extend my best wishes to your Rotary Club in Dunbar.

 May peace and happiness be upon your congregation,

Jill Honodel

Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Martinez